The State of Vermont, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts both implemented law/regulations in 2014 to promote food recovery and decrease disposal of food scraps in landfills, and the State of California recently started similar implementation in 2016. => According to estimates, in 2014, 18,600 tons of industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) food scraps and 41,500 tons of residential food scraps was generated only in Vermont, and to support organics processing infrastructure alone $20 million will be needed over the nine years; additional $17 million will be needed for trucks and carts to collect both recyclables and organics. For diversion of organics, energy generation and composting solutions are some of the pathways for efficient management of diverted organics. => Nutrient management area has its own challenges for example, dairy farm manure, which is a source of nutrients runoff affecting health of natural water bodies from excess nitrogen and phosphorus. Additional regulations would require sustainable solutions.

=> Are we prepared for taking care of the organic waste we constantly generate responsibly? Join this course to explore the implications, effects of this law through hands-on projects and optional internships with community partners.

This hands on course:

EXPLORES the community connection for creation of energy & valued products from recycling of food waste and other organic materials as applications of the new act, such as, addition of food residuals to existing anaerobic digester systems to produce biogas and electricity, capture of nutrients.

Resilient bioenergy industry can be built on sustainable and diverse sources of energy and you are invited through this course to examine, have hands-on projects with community partners engaged in biomass to biofuels, and learn about all possible bioenergy topics including:

=> This course is designed to provide experience in all possible Bio-Renewable Energy areas to prepare the participants of diverse backgrounds for jobs in BioEnergy/Biofuels industry, or higher education in the field, and related experiential and entrepreneurial experience in biomass/biofuels areas.